Geoff Woods on Strategic AI Implementation for Business Leaders
In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host CRO Mike Huffaker of Planet DDS sits down with Geoff Woods, founder of AI Leadership and author of The AI-Driven Leader. Join them as they discuss how leaders can strategically implement AI to enhance decision-making, drive growth, and build competitive advantages in their organizations.
Learn more about:
- How leaders can use AI as a thought partner
- The three ways AI brings value to companies
- The AI empowerment curve and adoption strategy
- Common mistakes in the AI implementation process
- The importance of quality communication with AI
- Real-world examples of AI solving complex business problems
About the Guest
Geoff Woods is a visionary leader who teaches how to blend artificial intelligence with strategic leadership to reshape how businesses grow and operate. As the author of the #1 bestselling book The AI-Driven Leader and founder of AI Leadership, he empowers leaders to harness AI, escape operational overwhelm, and think strategically to accelerate growth. His approach focuses on using AI as a strategic tool rather than just a technological advancement.
Episode Highlights
In this episode, Geoff Woods breaks down why AI competency isn’t optional for modern leaders with implementation strategies for organizations. Here are some highlights from the show:
Strategic problem-solving with AI
Woods shares a compelling story about helping a CEO facing potential bankruptcy due to equipment leasing issues with a Japanese company. By using AI as a strategic thought partner and implementing careful prompting techniques, they were able to generate innovative solutions that hadn’t been considered before, demonstrating the power of AI in complex business problem-solving.
The three pillars of AI value
Woods outlines the three fundamental ways AI can bring value to a company: making people more productive, making operations more efficient, and making products and services more valuable. He emphasizes the importance of leaders understanding the technology before implementation and avoiding the common mistake of rushing to integrate AI into products or operations before building foundational competence.
I believe that as a CEO, your job is not necessarily to predict the future, but it is to prepare your company to survive a variety of potential futures and thrive in spite of that ambiguity. You have to ask yourself, do you believe that AI is the future? I think everybody’s going to say to some extent, yes. Then as a CEO, you have a responsibility to have a foundational understanding of the technology and a foundational competence on what it is and what it is not to lead your organization moving forward. —Geoff Woods, founder of AI Leadership
Strategic approach to AI adoption
Using the adoption curve model, Woods explains why companies shouldn’t try to train everyone on AI simultaneously. Instead, he recommends starting with innovators and early adopters, building momentum with successful use cases, and then gradually expanding to the broader organization. He emphasizes the importance of leading with “empathetic strength” when managing resistance to change.
Advanced AI integration examples
Woods describes his innovative use of AI as a strategic thought partner, including creating an AI board of directors composed of historical business leaders’ personalities. This demonstrates how AI can be used for high-level strategic thinking rather than just tactical tasks, focusing on the 20% of efforts that drive 80% of value.
About The Dental Economist Show
Don’t miss out on episodes with special guests to discuss top strategies to grow your dental business. Tune in to the The Dental Economist Show weekly to learn how to optimize your DSO’s value and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
